The New York Rangers fired 52 shots at Hardy Astrom on January 15, 1981, but the Colorado Rockies goaltender had an answer for all but three. Facing the team that gave him his NHL start, Astrom made 49 saves while Mike Gillis supplied a hat trick in a 4-3 Colorado victory.
Highlights
Astrom stopped 49 of 52 shots on January 15, 1981.
Colorado defeated the visiting Rangers 4-3.
Mike Gillis scored three of the Rockies’ four goals.
Gillis completed his hat trick with the winner at 15:18 of the third period.
Walt McKechnie scored Colorado’s other goal while shorthanded.
New York outshot Colorado 52-22.
Astrom played 83 NHL games with the Rangers and Rockies.
It was the second time Astrom faced at least 50 shots in a game with the Rockies. On October 13, 1979, he stopped 48 of 50 in a 2-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. This time, his teammates provided enough offence to turn another exhausting night into a win.
Colorado opened a 2-0 first-period lead on goals by Gillis and Walt McKechnie against Rangers goalie Doug Soetaert. McKechnie’s goal came shorthanded with Dave Watson serving a roughing penalty. Dave Silk replied for New York before the intermission, but Gillis struck again early in the second period to restore Colorado’s two-goal cushion.
The Rangers kept coming. Eddie Johnstone scored shorthanded in the second period, and Anders Hedberg tied the game 3-3 at 9:04 of the third. Gillis then completed his hat trick at 15:18, putting Colorado ahead for good. Despite outshooting the Rockies 52-22, New York left with a loss as Soetaert allowed four goals on 22 shots.
The victory improved Colorado’s record to 16 wins, 22 losses and seven ties through 45 games. Unfortunately, Astrom’s standout performance did not mark the beginning of a turnaround. The Rockies won just once in their next 17 games.
Astrom spent most of his professional career in Sweden and appeared in 83 NHL games with the Rangers and Rockies between 1977-78 and 1980-81. He never recorded an NHL shutout, but he did collect an assist in Colorado’s 6-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on December 17, 1980. Along with stopping 28 of 29 shots, he earned the lone helper on Joel Quenneville’s game-winning goal.
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